All Smith College athletic director Kristin Hughes was told was, “You might want to get your teams there.”
At Rally Day, one of the Northampton, Massachusetts, women’s college’s oldest and most cherished traditions, the school reveals who’s getting honorary degrees and speaking at commencement.
“We knew some good name was coming,” Hughes said.
And when the audience heard the name Dawn Staley, a roar of applause echoed through the auditorium.
“Smith always tries to do a really thorough, thoughtful job picking people that would be inspirational and impactful for students to hear from. Certainly Dawn Staley’s name is a pretty easy one to make that list,” Hughes said. “It wasn’t only the basketball team that was excited, it was all of our teams and a lot of people that aren’t student-athletes.”
On May 17, Staley will be one of three “distinguished leaders” awarded a special degree from Smith College, a school with just under 3,000 students. The 2026 class will hear from Staley, sociologist Chizuko Ueno and educational consultant Carol Hillman.
Staley is at the height of her South Carolina women’s basketball coaching career but collected accolades for decades prior. Before winning three national championships and becoming the highest-paid women’s college basketball coach, she shined as a point guard at Virginia, then won three Olympic gold medals and played in the WNBA.
“She’s an unbelievable competitor … she wins on the biggest of stages, shows up in the biggest of moments. I could stop the conversation right there and say, ”That’s enough,'” Hughes said. “She now has the kind of reach that crosses genders. She has the respect, the admiration, the fandom from men and women. It’s not just about basketball anymore.”
Staley’s made it her mission to “grow the game,” whether that means gifting perfume samples to her opponents during March Madness or celebrating an opposing coach.
The news broke in late February, less than 24 hours after Staley won her 10th SEC regular-season title.
“It’s cool,” Staley said of the honor. “It’s an all-female school that represents higher education. If any young people see it and feel like they’re impacted by that and want to go to a higher education institution so be it but I think it’s really cool.”
Dawn Staley heading to birthplace of women’s basketball
Without Smith College, there’s no telling what Staley’s career path would be.
James Naismith invented basketball in 1891 in Springfield, roughly 20 minutes from Northampton. Two years later, Senda Berenson Abbott, Smith’s director of physical education, adapted the men’s game for women.
On March 22, 1893, the first women’s college basketball game was played, right on Smith’s campus.
“We are unapologetically proud of being the birthplace of women’s basketball,” Hughes said.
In February, Smith became the first basketball team to win six straight NEWMAC Championships. The Pioneers went to back-to-back DIII NCAA Tournament championships in 2024 and 2025.
“Anyone who has been in the game long enough and has the level of respect for the game that we really all should have, understands the gift it is to be giving back to the game that’s given you so much,” Hughes said. “I think Dawn does that all the time.”
Northampton excited for Dawn Staley honor, arrival
Staley draws crowds and often can’t leave an event without a sea of hands sticking out items for her to sign. Her influence stretches far beyond South Carolina and now Smith College is just the latest recipient of her willingness to connect.
“We all collectively freaked out because she’s such an icon, it was really cool to see her (name) on the screen,” said Maeve Huit, a defender on the Smith field hockey team. “Her message has carried all over the world … genuinely everybody is so excited to hear what she’s going to say.”
Sharon Deal, a middle school special education teacher in Northampton, has never been to South Carolina. After admiring her college game from afar, Deal found many of Staley’s coaching philosophies applicable to her teaching career, helping morph her into a full-on Gamecocks women’s basketball fan.
“She meets each player where they are, draws on their strengths, and guides them to be better players and more importantly, better human beings.” Deal said.
But over recent years, Staley’s commitment to cancer research and advocacy has meant the most to Deal.
“As a cancer survivor currently recovering from my second surgery to repair a necrotic femur, Staley’s advocacy for research and young people struggling with the disease means the world to me,” Deal said. “Her commitment to the cause is truly uplifting as I navigate my own ‘new normal’ and focus on my recovery.”
Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at LKesin@usatodayco.com. Follow her on X@Lulukesin and Bluesky@bylulukesin.bsky.social
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Dawn Staley, South Carolina coach honored by prestigious women’s college